How do you manage in a campervan
Hello
I am a solo caravanner but due to advancing years i an considering a campervan such as a VW as it will alleviate some of the strenuose problems of hitching up and parking both on site and at home.
When I load the vehicle with awning BBQ and the rest of the gear if the weather is lousy and raining for the the whole break and I can't erect the awning how do I manage with all the equipment inside a small space.
With the caravan I can transfer it into the car and no problems.
My son states I am being a whimp and just erect the awning whatever the weather and store the equipment inside it.
What do other people with small campervans do in these circumstances
Thanks for any constructive suggestions
Nick
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If you really want something as small as a VW, you could consider towing a small luggage trailer to carry and store your stuff in.
Ours is a 6m Peugeot Boxer based panel van. We have a wind out canopy and don’t carry a BBQ. We carry our outside chairs on the bike rack and the only thing on the floor of the van when travelling is the hook up cable. When on site, the cab becomes available for storage.
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You need to travel as light as possible. Have a place for everything, and keep it in there. A lightweight folding chair, for sunny days, that can be left out in the rain if needs be, or, buy a simple small pop up beach tent, and tuck things away in there. If your bbq is your main cooking source, then ok take one. But if it’s just something occasional, ditch it and buy a pack of disposables. Life in a small outfit is just so much easier if you carry less stuff around.
We started out with something half the size of a Vdub camper, two tall adults with a huge Rottweiler, and we used to do at least three weeks at a time away. Clothes can be washed at a laundrette once a week, so that will keep clothing down.
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If you are looking for something suitable for solo touring, that is comfy, don’t dismiss something like an Autosleeper Mezan. They come in either hi or pop up roof, and are just so ingenious inside. Even got a small porta potti space, so no need for the 2am slog to the bog in the rain😂
This gives you an idea of what they are like outside and in, pop top version, but given the choice the hi roof is preferable. Perfectly usable as an everyday runaround as well. I haven’t looked at any reviews, and not sure what you want, but it’s an alternative. Roll up, plug in, kettle on. Chair outside while tea brews, job done😁
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uUq1UfBQ7ts
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Get yourself a 5.6m or, better still, 6m panel van conversion with a fixed transverse bed at the rear. It’s like having a small garage, you can store a lot of stuff below the elevated bed without it getting in the way. A wind out cassette awning with removable side/front panels might also suit you?
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Nick,
Make sure you try several VW's at different dealers if you can !! I moved from a VW to a Citroen and, after about five years thought I'd swap . Went looking but found that I'd got used to the greater height of the side door on the 'Sevel' and all the VWs I tried gave me a right thwack across the shoulder blades.
. I find that quite a lot of extra kit can be slid under the vans anyway -- nobody will be kipping down there 
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Thanks for all the responses, I only chose to consider a small campervan because in the UK driving a large motorhome off the site to visit a town or village is fraught with parking problems,
As for the wind out awnings I have an omnistor on my present van and they are great in fine weather but if it is very windy they have to be wound in. I have the side panels but if i was using them on a campervan they would all have to be removed before retracting the canopy and driving off site.
I will go to the Motorhome and Campervan show in Peterborough at the end of the month and have a good look round everything.
Once again Thanks.
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My wife and I had a VW T4 campervan for over 6 years and never had any problems with storage and at times had trips of over 6 weeks in length. Admittedly it was a high top with substantial high level storage at the back and in a cupboard over the cab. We didn't carry a barbecue and we didn't need a trailer. I believe that even the rising roof VW campervans have a reasonable amount of storage behind the rear seat. Once on site there is storage space on the cab floor and on the driver's seat if it isn't turned round.
Initially we bought a drive away free-standing awning as we thought we would need extra living space and storage space. That proved to be completely unnecessary so we bought a small 2 man tent which we put up if we were staying at a site for a few days, meaning we could store items in it especially if we were wanting to go out in the van.
A wind out awning was useful if it was very hot and sunny but also if it was raining but hot - the awning could be out and the sliding door open so there was plenty of ventilation.
When we started using sites without facilities we bought a toilet tent to allow us to use the porta-potti.
We've had our current van (Auto Sleepers Symbol) for over 11 years. It is a medium wheel base Peugeot Boxer - approx 5.4 metres length body. We have done trips of up to 11 weeks and have never felt the need for a 6 metres length van. I agree with you that the smaller vans make parking much easier. We usually have no problem in ours and certainly didn't in the VW (apart from if there were height barriers).
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We started off with an Autosleeper Topaz (VW T5) and bought a drive away awning to store stuff when we were off site. In the end it was more trouble than it was worth unless we were staying on a site for more than a couple of days.
We had 2 bagged folding chairs and a small table, had enough storage for the rest of our stuff and adapted our camping style to suit. The freedom of being able to chuck stuff in the van width bathroom at the rear and close the door on it was great.
In the end I found the fiddling making up the bed was too much for my creaky back especially as I had to ban husband and dog from the van while I did, so we bought a small coach built. Marquis Majestic, still only 5.75 metres but a bit wider. Next one will probably be another van conversion but 6 metres
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I’ve been a camper vanner for the last seven years after deciding at the age of 60 that I was too old to continue cycle touring round Europe and the U.K. every year with ultra lightweight camping kit. A camper van by comparison is the height of luxury. Caravanners would think differently. It all depends on your mindset. You have to embrace the concept of minimalism to enjoy the benefits of a smaller camper van.
VW Transporter conversions and Californias are an excellent obvious choice - particularly if you are impressed by the image - but there are cheaper alternatives. The VW T6 is now a bit long in the tooth and is due to be replaced. Vans like the latest Ford Transit and Toyota Proace are more modern base vehicles and generally considered to offer a better more car-like drive. I’m a satisfied owner of Wellhouse Leisure conversions, buying first a Hyundai i800 and now a Ford Tourneo (posh Transit) Trento, both with the classic VW-style side kitchen layout and pop-top roof.
A camper van is well suited to “moving on” holidays or stays where you want to go off site regularly for shopping and sightseeing. For example, my wife is walking the South West Coastal Path in sections and our van is ideal for dropping her off each morning and picking her up at the end of the day after I’ve enjoyed a shorter stroll with the dog. I wouldn’t want to take a big van or motorhome down those narrow sunken Cornish lanes. At under 5m long, our van fits into normal parking bays. Our Hyundai was just under 2m high while the Tourneo is just over so you need to be aware of height barriers in some car parks.
Our Tourneo has a sliding bench seat which gives great flexibility for load carrying and maximising daytime living space, plus swivelling front seats and a freestanding table which can be used in and outdoors. As I cook all our meals freshly on the two gas rings, I haven’t bothered with a mini grill or oven for heating up ready meals, pizzas etc. I also rejected the idea of an awning because it would be too much hassle to put it up and take it down every time I move off site - plus I feel an awning bar adds height, weight, wind noise and extra fuel consumption. If it rains, we sit inside. If it’s fine we sit outside and can always find a spot of shade if needed. The bench seat bed is large and comfortable and folds into position in seconds. A porta-potti sits at the foot for night-time use. On-board tanks for fresh and waste water are useful.
Storage space is fine for the essentials of minimalist camping. You can keep stuff underneath the van on site while the space under and behind the bench seat is big enough for camping chairs, bikes, hook-up cable, levellers, dog bed etc.
It’s important to remember that a camper van is not a motorhome or caravan that will be left on your drive or in storage for weeks on end. It is a multi-purpose vehicle which can be used as a daily driver with similar speed, manoeuvrability and ease of parking and driving as a big family car. But you have the added benefit of being able to take furniture to the tip and going away on holiday in it.
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Brookmans.
You may have already thought of this - it may be worthwhile hiring the sort of campervan you may wish to own so that you can try it for a couple of days or so including on a campsite. Some companies reimburse the hire fee if you buy.
If you have opportunities to talk to campervan owners directly you may also find that helpful.
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I wouldn’t want to take a big van or motorhome down those narrow sunken Cornish lanes.
I wouldn’t worry too much about that. If you avoid those lanes you’ll miss out on much of what Cornwall has to offer and never avoid the madding crowd. Those lanes will take you to beaches where you’ll be one of half-a-dozen people in peak season. Be bold. If you meet a local they’ll know how to handle the situation and get out of your way - it goes with the territory. If you meet a visitor some aren’t good at judging the width of their vehicle or driving backwards. They’ll generally just freeze, so take the initiative. Most panel vans are a tad over 2m wide so not much more than a modern family car/SUV etc, Just practice driving backwards! All of these situations resolve themselves without too much drama, it’s all part of the fun! Meeting a farmer in a tractor or worse is an entirely different proposition!
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This is what I was trying to say earlier. You can go down these narrow sunken lanes in a smaller VW-size camper van with much more ease than a big van or motorhome. Just one of the reasons why VW vans are so popular in Cornwall. Trying to take a big coachbuilt motorhome on narrow roads can cause traffic chaos - as I saw last year when I came across one on the Bealach na Ba. Another advantage of smaller camper vans is they keep up with the pace of regular traffic on motorways and the open road.
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I am following this thread with interest as I have exactly the same problem and after 40+ years of caravanning see a campervan/motorhome as a more suitable choice. I think that a big compromise is needed and ideally I would like something that I could use for holidays as well as a day van. I have decided that campervans are just too small and have been looking at several van conversions. I used to go fishing while away and this seems impossible without a garage which are not found on smaller vans. My thoughts have now gone up in size and I have just looked at a Swift Escape Compact C205 which at 5.99M has a fixed bed and a garage.
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Not forgetting you are welcome everywhere as you have the footprint of a regular car👍🏻
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